This application is related to (1) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Preflights Print Files On A Pass-Fail Basis,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (2) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Employs Inspector Programs Specific To A Print File Type,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (3) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System Having A Print Buyer Interface Provided Through A Print Vendor,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (4) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Allows A Print Buyer To Employ Print Profiles From A Plurality Of Print Vendors,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (5) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Flags Specific Print File Errors For Review By A Print Vendor,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (6) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Charges A Fee Each Time A Print Buyer Uses The System To Preflight A Print File,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (7) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Preflight System That Automatically Forwards A Preflighted Print File To A Print Vendor For Printing,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (8) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting That Provides A Universal Resource Locator Address Associated With A Detected Print File Error,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (9) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting Print Files On A Pass-Fail Basis,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (10) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting A Print File That Employs Inspector Programs Specific To The Print File Type,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (11) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting Using A Print Buyer Interface Provided Through A Print Vendor,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (12) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting Where A Print Buyer May Employ Print Profiles From A Plurality Of Print Vendors,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (13) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting That Flags Specific Print File Errors For Review By A Print Vendor,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; (14) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting That Charges A Fee Each Time A Print Buyer Preflights A Print File,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference; and (15) the copending U.S. Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cA Method Of Preflighting Including Automatically Forwarding A Preflighted Print File To A Print Vendor For Printing,xe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith and naming Raymond J. Marshall as inventor, which application is incorporated entirely herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a preflight system that allows a print buyer to submit a print file for preflighting from a remote user interface. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method and system that allow a print buyer to seamlessly integrate a preflight process into its workflow with a print vendor, by, for example, preflighting a print file via a remote preflight system using an interface associated with the print vendor.
2. Background of the Invention
Preflighting is the process of reviewing print information for errors or possible printing problems before actually printing the information. This process is important because a printing press can be very expensive to set up and run. Further, a print run may require hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper, special binding procedures, etc. If errors or problems in a print job are not caught before the printing job is completed, it can be very costly to reprint the job.
Currently, print buyers who wish to have something printed will submit it in digital form to a print vendor (e.g., a printer with a printing press or a print broker who passes the item on to a printer with a printing press). In theory, this allows the print file containing the item to be easily preflighted by computer analysis, but this has not worked out in practice. While the print vendor can preflight the print file, the print vendor cannot correct all of the errors that are detected. Instead, to correct most errors, the print vendor must either return the print file to the print buyer or obtain additional information from the print buyer. This can significantly delay printing of the item.
The print buyer, on the other hand, may not be aware of the need to preflight a print file before submitting it to a print vendor. Even if a print buyer is sophisticated enough to appreciate the need for preflighting, the preflighting process is still time consuming for the print buyer. The print buyer must obtain a preflighting program, preflight the print file, and correct any detected errors before submitting the print file to a print vendor. If the print buyer obtains the preflighting program from a source other than the print vendor being used by the print buyer, then the preflighting program may not recognize possible print errors that are specific to the print vendor. On the other, if the print buyer obtains its preflighting program from one print vendor, then the program may not recognize print errors specific to other print vendors. Instead, the print buyer must obtain new preflighting criteria for each new print vendor it employs.
Accordingly, there is a need for a preflight system that seamlessly integrates into the print buyer""s workflow. Advantageously, some embodiments of the invention allow a print buyer to access a preflight system using an interface provided through a print vendor. Thus, in the process of working with a print vendor, a print buyer can easily preflight print files prior to printing. Various embodiments of the invention may further allow the preflight system to pass error free print files along to the print vendor, or to pass print files having correctable errors along to the print vendor with a list identifying the correctable errors for the print vendor.
In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a preflight system provide an interface Web page accessible through a print vendor""s Web site, so that a print buyer can access the preflight system through the print vendor""s Web site. Upon interfacing with the preflight system, the system provides inspector modules to the print buyer""s client machine. These inspector modules inspect the print file, and convey the detected document elements back to the analyzer of the preflight system. The analyzer compares the detected document elements with a list of elements in one or more selected printer profiles provided by the print vendor, to any of the document elements that may present a problem during printing. The analyzer then compiles a list of error messages associated with the identified document elements. By accessing the preflight system through the print vendor, the print buyer is not hardwired to one particularly vendor. Further, as will be understood by reviewing the description of the preferred embodiments below, the print buyer can employ the preflight system according to the invention through potentially any print vendor.